Yesterday, 19 November, a support event for Ukraine was held at Freedom Square in Tallinn, where 1,000 candles were lit to mark 1,000 days since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. Hundreds of people gathered in solidarity with Ukraine, and several individuals connected to Ukraine delivered speeches.

The project, which aimed to map out opportunities for people with a refugee background to enter the labour market, culminated in an Estonian visit at the beginning of November. During the visit, participants explored the activities and initiatives of the Estonian Refugee Council and the opportunities available to refugees in Estonia.

Ms. Nataliya Kachur comes from the city of Soledar in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Nataliya and her family moved away from the frontlines and to the central region of Cherkasy. It was not easy for Nataliya’s family to suddenly uproot their lives and settle in a completely new place far from their social network and previous jobs. Having 20 years of experience in teaching art, Nataliya decided to begin offering online drawing lessons, leveraging her love for art to earn a living in an unfamiliar area.

A donation campaign in Estonia is still active to provide humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in Lebanon.On 7 November, we are organising an international humanitarian conference in Tallinn, which focuses on ethical dilemmas, preventive action, and the use of artificial intelligence.In Ukraine, we continue to distribute winter support to cover heating costs for 4,500 households during the upcoming winter season. Assistance will be provided in cash, or alternatively, firewood or coal will be delivered directly to those in need.A financial assistance programme was launched in Ukraine to increase food security and self-sufficiency for vulnerable households and communities by improving the winter living conditions of livestock and poultry.In Armenia’s Lori region, a women’s livelihoods programme started.Our Armenia office has signed an agreement with the Estonian University of Life Sciences to help three schools in the Tavush region implement water- and energy-efficient agricultural solutions developed in Estonia to alleviate water scarcity and promote environmental education.In Georgia, a cash assistance programme has been launched to support Ukrainian refugees living there through the winter months. For more information, visit the Estonian Refugee Council´s website.

Mykhailo and his wife have been keeping cows for over 30 years. They started with one cow to have milk for themselves. Then they got more cows and delivered milk to the dairy. After losing their main job, keeping and breeding cows became the main source of income for the couple. A husband and a wife independently take care of animals, sell milk, as well as sour milk cheese, sour cream and fermented baked milk (ryazhanka) of their own production at the local market.

The Estonian Refugee Council (ERC) is advising specialists in kindergartens in Ida-Viru County and Tallinn to help create more integrated and inclusive learning environments. The programme, which runs until the end of January 2025, is supported by the British Council in Estonia. This is the fourth year the ERC has provided such consultation for kindergartens.

In the small town of Kobeliaky, Poltava oblast, Iryna (33) opened a coffee shop, which immediately gained the favor of the locals. Iryna tells the story of its creation as follows: “Our TaTySho cafe appeared as a result of the desire to move further while I was on maternity leave. In addition, it was at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In a short time, I developed a plan to open a cafe. My husband had the premises and materials, and at the end of February 2022, my parents and brother, who was a builder, fled from Kyiv for shelter. Thus, together we managed to open a decent place, which was quite unusual for such a local community”.

On 18 September, during his visit to Estonia, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, visited the Estonian Refugee Council's office in Tallinn and met with refugees living in Estonia at Teacher's House (Õpetajate Maja).